Stehemiah kimball



WITNESSES.

2Sheets-Sh1eet 1.

- N. KIMBALL.

Apparatusfor Laying Railroad Traoks.

No. 237,388. Patented Feb. 8,1881;

INVEINTGR.

N-PETERS. FHOTO-UTMDfiRAPH ER. WASHINGTON, D C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N KIMBALL Appa.ra,tus for Laying Railroad Tracks. NO. 237,388; 1881.

Patented Feb. 8,

iii/672607 JVefieYW Emall 1 2710 v I; M

UNrTnD STATES PATE T QFFICE.

NEHEMIAH KIMBALL, OF BURRILLVILLE, RHODE ISLAND.

APPARATUS FOR LAYl-NG RAILROAD-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,388, dated February8, 1881.

Application filed september 1, 1879.

the track-namely, the ties and rails-hymechanical contrivances, and tosecure the rails to said ties after the latter have been properly beddedby the use of power-hammers for drivingthe spikes commonly employedtosecure said rails in their places.

Said invention consists of a frame or structure adapted to be mounted ona platform-car, and provided with apparatus for lifting and conveyingthe rails and ties from said car to positions where they may be laid,and of hammers attached to such carfor driving the spikes,

all said apparatus being operated by steam or other appropriate power.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 representsa perspective, and Fig.2 a plan, of

my apparatus; Fig. 3, a sectional side elevation onthe line an 00, Fig.2; Figs. 4: and 5, details.

0 denotes the car, and F a strong frame erected thereon, the forwardpart of which projects beyond the forward end "of. the car. Outside ofthe frame, on each side, is space on the car for loading the rails, andthe ties may occupy the open space inside the frame.

B is a swing-bar mounted on the forward part or the frame, and providedat each end with suitable tackle, B", with which to lift the ties fromthe car and suspend them from the end of the swing-bar. To the ends ofthe bar are also attached the ropes R R, or their equivalents, whichropes extend toward the rear of the car, and are attached to pulleys P,-

Pmounted on the shaft S. This shaft is placed across the rear end of thecar, and is driven either by a. small engine, also located on the car,oritmay take the power upon the driving-pulley D from the locomotive.The shaft S turns'in the pulleys P P, which are put in motion bypressing them against cones V on the shaft S by means of the handles hh; or in place of the cones a clutch-pin may be used. On each side ofthe frame is a carriage-rail, A, from which a carriage, Gr, Fig. 4," issuspended on sheaves G; and attached to this carriage, or forming a partof it, is a block and fall, D or, leaving a clutch, K, for grasping arail. The fall a extends from the block to the forward part of theframe, passing over a pulley, E, near that end of the rail, and thenceback to the pulley P on the shaft S. This last-named pulley receives therope from each side of the frame and operates-both car riagessimultaneously. This is set in 'motion by friction on the cone V in thesame manner as P and P. Y

S is a second shaft driven from the first, the receiving-pulley y onwhich is loose and communicates its motion to the shaft byafriction-cone, V. This shaft has .two fast pulleys, y y, from whichropes a extend to the carriage G for the purpose of drawing it rearward.A steam-hammer. H, is attached to the body of the car on each side, atthe forward end, so as to be directly over the rail 011 each side. Thehammers are connected to the car by dovetailing cleats H H, as shown inFig. 5, allowing of an adjustment forward or back, so as to bring thehammers directlyover a tie.

M is a steam-pipe to convey steam to the hammer.

The duty intended to be performed by the above-described apparatus is asfollows: The car loaded with rails and ties and propelled either by anengine placed thereon or a locomotive coupled behind it, and beinglocated on a track, as shown in the drawings, where the work of layingnew track is to begin, one end of the swing-bar B is swung to the rearby setting the pulley P in motion. The end of the tackle-rope B is madefast to a tie, which isthen swung up from the car and the rope madefast. Pulley P then swings the tie forward over its place on theroad-bed, when it is dropped and planted. This is repeateduntil tiesenough are laid to receive a new rail. At-

tendants then make fast each of the clutches stop placed on the ropeabove the clutch, comes in contact with the block motion is imparted tothe carriage and it is carried forward to the end of the carriage-railA, which extends beyond the end of the car a distance equal to or alittle in excess of one-half the length of the road-rail. The pulley Pis then set free from the friction-cone V, and the rails fall togetheron the track. It is preferable to use a brake, such as shown at W, onthis pulley in lowering the rails, in order that they may be let downgently. Such a brake may be arranged to be worked by the foot of theoperator. The pulleys y 'y afterward draw the carriages back in positionto take their .neXt load. The car then moves forward far enough to bringthe steam-hammers over the first tie under the newly-laid rails ornearly so. The steam-hammers are adjusted by moving forward or back, ifnecessary, and drive the spikes which secure the rails to the tie. Atthe same time a new tie is laid in advance. The car advances from tie totie, driving the spikes and laying new ties. When the last tie under thenewly-laid pair of rails is reached a sufficient number of ties havebeen laid in advance to receive the next pair of rails. A spring-brake,X, producing a moderate friction on the shaft S, serves to arrest thetendency of the carriages to move forward before the rails are liftedand cleared from the car.

Proper guides and supports for the various ropes mentioned are of coursecontemplated where it is required to change direction or keep them inplace.

The mechanism for handling the railroadiron may be employed to advantagein loading the car from piles of rails lying alongside or near the roadby employing a sufficient length of rope to allow the clutch to becarried to the rails to be loaded.

By applying the friction through brake X to shaft S, heretoforementioned, the carriages G are held stationary, and the rails are liftedby means of the ropes and pulleys and deposited on the car,substantially as described for lifting the rails to be laid on thetrack.

This invention is also adapted to handling, lifting, and placing thetimbers in building elevated railroads after sufficient track has beenbuilt on which to place the car.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the frame F, the carriage-rails A, secured alongthe top sides of the frame, carriages G, running on said rails A,pulleys D E, ropes a a, and operatingdrums y y and P", all constructed,arranged, and adapted to operate substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

2. In combination with the frame F, the swing-bar B, pivoted to the topfront portion of the frame, ropes R R, attached to each end ofsaidswing-bar, and driving-pulleys P P, all substantially as and for thepurposes described.

3. In combination with the truck or car 0, the steam-hammers H, securedto said car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination and arrangement, in a machine for layingrailroad-tracks, of mechanism for carrying and depositing the cross-tiesin proper posit-ion, consisting of a frame, F, mounted upon a car ortruck, swing-bar B, ropes R R, and driving-pulleys P P, and mechanismfor carrying and depositing the rails in position upon the ties,consisting of carriage-rails A, carriages G, ropes a a, anddriving-pulleys P y y, all substantially as and for the purposesdescribed and shown.

5. The machine' herein described for laying railroad-tracks, consistingof car 0, frame F, secured thereto and projecting forward'thereof,swing-bar B, with its ropes B It It, carriagerails A, carriages G,pulleys D E, ropes a a, clutches K K, driving-pulleys P P P y y y,levers h h, and hammers H, all constructed, arranged, and adapted tooperate substantially as set forth and shown, whereby a tie is lifted.

and deposited in place on the road-bed, the rails are raised, carriedforward, and dropped in position on the cross-ties, and finally therails are nailed in place, all in a regular continuous movement, bymechanical means.

NEHEMIAH KIMBALL. Witnesses:

ISAAC H. SOUTHWIOK, Jr., RICHARD K. RANDOLPH, Jr.

